Washington, D.C. – Today, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) and Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet Chairman Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr. (D-GA) released the following joint statement congratulating Shira Perlmutter on her appointment as the 14th Register of Copyrights:

"We applaud today’s appointment of Shira Perlmutter to be the 14th Register of the Copyrights.  Ms. Perlmutter will bring a wealth of experience and expertise to the position, having worked in private practice, industry, academia, and most recently, serving as the Chief Policy Officer and Director for International Affairs at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.  She is well-positioned to advance the critical work of the Copyright Office as it continues to modernize its IT systems, engage in policy analysis and development, and advise Congress.  We look forward to working with Ms. Perlmutter to ensure that the copyright system lives up to its promise to promote the creation of expressive works for the benefit of us all, as well as to provide a fair reward to those who create them.

"We would also like to thank the Librarian of Congress, Dr. Carla Hayden, for her thorough search process to identify a new Register that included extensive outreach to the public as well as to Members of Congress.

"Finally, we extend our gratitude to Maria Strong for her service as the Acting Register for the past nine-plus months, during which time she successfully guided the Office through its initial response to the Covid-19 pandemic, including implementation of the emergency authorities granted to the Office pursuant to the CARES Act, while also overseeing the issuance of the Office’s report on Section 512 of Title 17, the culmination of a years-long study of the efficacy of this section of the copyright laws, enacted as part of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998."